Alternative Ending to The Man From Nowhere
by Tauna Petit-Strawn
Summary: I have never liked the way the writers wrote Libby. I could see why she would be desperate and why having Jarrod around would make it so she wanted a change. I just wished the writers would have handled the end differently. As far as I'm concerned, there was no need to make Libby downright selfish. This is what I would have liked to see. Two chapter story
1. Chapter 1

Alternative Ending to The Man From Nowhere 1 or 2

A/N Parts in Italics are straight from the episode.

~oOo~

Libby stood on the porch of her home with her rifle aimed at the two strangers. She didn't know them and, with after what happened during the previous raid on the ranch, she wasn't about to just let them dismount.

" _Who are you? What do you want?"_

" _My name's Barkley," Nick answered. Heath added, "We're looking for our brother, Jarrod Barkley."_

Jarrod Barkley! The name of the envelope she'd burned. She wasn't sure what to think. Were these men really Dakota's brothers or had some of the ranchers, somehow, learned his real name? If they had, were they using the information to lure Dakota away from the Mathews' ranch so they could raid it again? For a split second, Libby thought about denying ever having heard of any man called Jarrod Barkley. Then changed her mind. She'd been wrong in the way she'd handled the finding of the letter; it didn't mean she had to continue handling things the wrong way.

"Throw down your guns." She snapped.

"Why?" Nick, instantly suspicious, barked. It didn't faze Libby Mathews.

"Mister, if you are who you say you are…if you're not just a couple of Vatcher's men, you'll thrown down your guns and then dismount your horses."

Vatcher's men? Nick and Heath looked at each other. Silently they agreed to do as the woman said. They threw down their guns and dismounted.

"Now what?" Nick barked, not caring to hide how irritated he was.

Libby nodded towards the barn. "There's a couple crates in the barn. You can get them and place them against the outside wall, and then just sit on them. Don't move off them, even when Dakota gets here."

Dakota? Confusion showed in both Heath and Nick's eyes, but they did as they were told.

"Jarrod's got to be around here. Did you see that shirt hanging over the porch railing?" Heath whispered once they were almost to the barn.

"Yeah, I know. Let's get the crates." Nick opened the barn door and went inside.

"Who are they?" Mrs. Mathews, who had heard Nick's voice from inside the house, stepped out onto the porch.

"They say they're Barkleys, say they're looking for their brother."

"So, you'll have to tell him who he is?"

Libby didn't care for excited gleam in her mother-in-law's eyes, though she understood it. Dakota's coming to the ranch, helping them and befriending Danny had made her face the fact her husband was dead and made her realize just how lonely she was. She was sure Scott's mother, who still held onto the hope her son would return, resented it.

"I'll confess what I did, yes, but it will be left up to Dakota whether or not to believe them." She then added what she feared Vatcher had learned the truth as well. "After the raid, if he did such a thing, I wouldn't put it past Vatcher to send a couple of men out here to distract Dakota away only to kill him. After that, Danny and I are leaving. You can come with us if you want."

"Leave!" the elderly Mrs. Mathews had to force herself to keep her voice low; she didn't want the two men-whoever they were- to hear what she had to say to her daughter-in-law. "What about Scott? You're his wife! Where will you go?

"I'm his widow! Face it, Scott's dead!" Libby snapped back. Then softening her tone. "I do not know where I will go, but I have to move on. There's nothing for me or Danny here, nothing!"

Infuriated that her daughter-in-law would say Scott was dead, Mrs. Mathews whirled around and stormed back into the house, slamming the door behind her.

Libby sat back down and, resting the rifle across her lap, waited for Dakota and Danny to come home. By the time she saw Dakota and her son driving up to the house, a solid two hours had passed.

Alarmed to see two pistols lying on the ground and two strangers sitting on crates outside the barn, Dakota pulled up on the reins.

"Ma?" Danny, who was alarmed as well, jumped down from the wagon.

"I'm fine, go inside, but don't bother your grandmother. She's not in a good mood." Libby gestured towards the front door.

"Is she ever in one lately?" Danny said without thinking, and then added quickly apologized as he saw a flash of hurt pass over his mother's eyes.

"Who are those men?" Dakota asked once he'd climbed out of the wagon.

"Before I answer that, I need to confess something to you. I'm sure what I have to say will upset you, and rightly so. Only, please, realize how scared and lonely I've been. No, it won't make what I did right, only it does explain it."

'Dakota' stiffened ever so slightly, but determined to control any reaction he might have to the confession -whatever it was-as she was right; he did realize how desperate she was, and he wasn't surprised to hear her admit to being lonely either. "All right, what is it?"

Libby took a deep breath and confessed everything. By the time she was finished, she wasn't surprised to see shock, anger and sympathy all rolled into one appear in 'Dakota's' eyes. "They," she pointed towards Nick and Heath. "They claim to be your brothers."

"You don't believe them. You think they're working for the ranchers." He said even as he glanced towards the men he did not recognize.

"I don't know." Libby, who had handed Jarrod the rifle that had been lying on her lap. "Maybe they are; or, maybe Vatcher found out who was supposed to be coming here and used the information to his advantage. That is something you need to decide. However, you don't need to worry about fighting for me, or against me." She then told him what she'd told her mother-in-law. "I'm tired of fighting for a place I no longer consider home. I don't know where I'll go, but Jed Cameron will buy this place for a fair price. I know it. Out of all the ranchers around here, he's a good man."

'Dakota' thought looked at the pistols on the ground and then towards his brothers. "They throw those guns down the first time you asked?" He turned back to Libby.

"The dark haired one wanted to know why, but after I gave him my reasoning, they didn't fight it." Libby shrugged her shoulders. "Probably telling the truth **.** "

For a moment, he said nothing. When he did speak, it was with a bit of chastisement. "You're right; you should have told me. However," he gave her an understanding nod, "thanks for telling me now." He then looked at Nick and Heath who were standing up. "I'll go talk to them, but first, promise me something."

Libby wasn't about to tell him no, not after hiding the facts from him. "Anything, I owe you after I hid the truth from you the way I did."

"Let me help you find a new place to live, and a way for you to support Danny and your mother-in-law." 'Dakota' answered.

"You'd help me? After I burned that letter and threw away your coat?" Libby asked astonished.

"You were desperate as you said, but you're not making it worse now. Yes, I'm willing to help you." He smiled. "So, do I have your promise?"

"Yes," Libby started beaming. "Well, at least for me and Danny. I don't know what my mother-in-law will want."

"Fine." 'Dakota' said as he handed the rifle back to Libby. "I'll have their pistols, you can take this and go inside…just in case." After she'd taken the gun from him, he bent over and picked up the pistols that had been tossed to the ground. As he did so, his eyes fell upon the eagle on the pistol closest to him. Automatically, he stood straight up-his eyes never leaving the eagle.


	2. Chapter 2

Alternative Ending to The Man From Nowhere 2 or 2

*The town Libby mentions in this chapter is fictional as far as I know.

 _Previously:_ _ **"Fine." 'Dakota' said as he handed the rifle back to Libby. "I'll have their pistols, you can take this and go inside…just in case." After she'd taken the gun from him, he bent over and picked up the pistols that had been tossed to the ground. As he did so, his eyes fell upon the eagle on the pistol closest to him. Automatically, he stood straight up-his eyes never leaving the eagle.**_

Nick and Heath stood up as Jarrod picked up the pistol and reacted the way he did. "He looked at us as if we were strangers." Heath turned his head and looked at Nick. "Now, he's looking at my gun as if he's been hit by lightning. I don't think he knows us. I think he's the Dakota that Libby Mathews mentioned. At least, I assume that's who she is."

"Amnesia." Nick spoke the word slowly as he thought on a former comrade and his bout with the problem. "That would explain a lot of things. Though, I don't see why we can't tell him who he is." Nick started to take a step forward only to have Heath reach out and take a hold of his arm.

"If that's the case, if he has amnesia and there's been men making trouble for the Mathews, he's more likely to accept us for who we are if we let him come to us." Heath kept his eyes on Jarrod, hoping the fact that the pistol was actually forcing his brother's memory to come back.

Nick still wanted to tell Jarrod who he was, but had to admit Heath had a point. That being the case, he forced himself to stay standing where he was. Though, it was one of the hardest things he'd ever done. By the time Jarrod started walking towards them, Nick was ready to climb the wall.

" _Where did you get this?"_ Jarrod held up the pistol, making sure the eagle was showing. His eyes held a look of a man who knew what he was looking at, but didn't. It tore at his brothers' hearts.

" _You gave it to me."_ Heath replied. _"You had it made special for me in San Francisco."_

Hoping to help Jarrod's memory to return, Nick added, _"You gave it to him for his last birthday, just before you left. Remember? "_ There was a plea in the last word Nick spoke.

" _Don't you remember, Jarrod?"_ Heath asked the question realizing Jarrod did indeed have amnesia only, like Nick, he could see the look of a man who had lost himself and was desperately trying to get memories that, in his gut, he knew he had.

Jarrod felt himself shaking ever so slightly as the fog he'd lived in for a solid week started to lift. He looked at the eagle again and found himself dropping it to the ground, and then looked at Nick. His voice wavered as he looked at the dark haired rancher. "Nick?" Nick was so overwhelmed all he could do was smile a little and nod. Jarrod turned to the blonde haired cowboy before him. Again, a name came rushing at him. "Heath?" Like Nick, Heath found himself unable to speak. All he could do was nod.

Jarrod felt his legs drop out from under him; he dropped to his knees and began sobbing and crying out Nick's name. It undid both his brothers as they rushed to kneel down and embrace Jarrod.

~oOo~

"Come with us," Libby stood in front of the house looking at her mother-in-law. "Jarrod received a reply to the telegram he sent; he's secured Danny and me a place to live in *Martinsdale. I'll be teaching at the small school they have. No need for you to stay here alone **.** " Martinsdale was a small town forty miles from Rockville, and Jarrod had a friend on the town's schoolboard.

Still holding onto the hope Libby was wrong and that her son would return, the elderly Mrs. Mathews shook her head. "Jed Cameron offered to let me stay here; he and his wife even offered to help me with what I need food and clothes wise-as long as I help them where I can. I'm staying."

Libby wanted to argue with her mother-in-law, but knew it was useless. The woman was as stubborn as they came. "Come on, Ma!" We're ready to go!" Danny, who sat on the buckboard of their wagon holding the reins in his hands, called out.

"If you ever change your mind, just tell Jed. He's also agreed to help you get to Martinsdale if you want to join us." Libby gave the woman a hug, and then turned and walked to the wagon where Jarrod was waiting to help her up. After helping her, Jarrod mounted the horse she'd insisted he'd keep-in exchange for all he'd done and, if she was to be honest, as restitution for what she'd allowed herself to do before his brothers showed up. Soon Jarrod, his brothers, Libby and Danny were on their way.

Epilogue

"Jarrod!" Audra and Victoria both ran out of the house and took turns embracing Jarrod after he'd dismounted his horse. Their embraces were the strongest they had ever been-as they'd learned of his bout with amnesia when Nick and Heath had sent a telegram, one sent before they departed Rockville and heading to Martinsdale to help Libby and Danny get settled in. "It's good to have you home!"

Jarrod's heart flowed with gratitude. It was good to be a man who know who he was, a man with a home and family, a man who knew his own name. "It's good to _**be**_ home." He replied as he returned their firm embraces with ones of his own.


End file.
